NORWALK, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) today announced that Ronald O. Perelman and Dr. Anna Chapman, through the Perelman Family Foundation, have committed more than $4 million in funding to launch the first ever research program solely dedicated to the early detection and prevention of multiple myeloma. This generous donation will seed the launch of the groundbreaking Perelman Family Foundation Early Disease Translational Research Program, part of the MMRF Prevention Project, to speed efforts toward early detection, delayed disease progression, and eventually, ultimately, prevention of this incurable disease.
“The goal of this initiative is to develop a completely new paradigm for research in multiple myeloma, focusing on early detection and ultimately, prevention. Right now, detection of this terrible disease often comes too late. Unlike most cancers, early detection of multiple myeloma doesn't increase a person’s chance of survival under current treatment options. The Perelman Family Foundation Early Disease Translational Research Program will support research focused on improving outcomes after early detection. With the MMRF and our university partners, we are confident that we will be able to make breakthroughs for multiple myeloma patients, and that the program will serve as a model for future initiatives,” said Dr. Anna Chapman.
The gift from the Perelman Family Foundation provides a catalyst for essential research focused on: better understanding genomic determinants of early disease progression; how microenvironment factors influence early disease progression; and enhancing patient tumor immunity.
Perelman Family Foundation Early Disease Translational Research Program brings together six leading cancer research centers: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Rockefeller University, University of Arkansas for Medical Science, Yale University, as well as the MMRF. The studies conducted by these teams will identify novel targets and biomarkers of disease progression and enable the development of therapeutic approaches to delay or even stop progression to myeloma.
“We are so thankful to Ronald and Anna for supporting our vision for a bold program that will take us one step closer to a future where our children and grandchildren will never need to worry about incurable cancers,” said the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Founder Kathy Giusti. “Not only does the MMRF answer the questions of patients today and urgently deliver them the precise information and treatment they need to fight their multiple myeloma, but, with this generous donation, we will now also be able to focus on the patients of tomorrow.”
About the Perelman Family Foundation
Inspired by the dedication and vision of its Chairman and CEO Ronald O. Perelman and his family, the Perelman Family Foundation is firmly committed to philanthropy, focusing on women’s health, education and the arts. Ranked among the top philanthropists in the United States, Mr. Perelman is the founder of the Revlon/UCLA Women’s Cancer Research Program, which analyzes the causes of and develops groundbreaking treatment for breast and ovarian cancer. Launched in 1994, the program was responsible for the development of Herceptin, the first genetically-based treatment for a major cancer to be approved by the FDA, which currently cures more than thirty percent of breast cancer cases in women. In 2014, he co-founded, along with Barbra Streisand, the Women’s Heart Alliance to raise awareness, encourage action and drive new research to fight heart disease in women.
Through the Perelman Family Foundation, Mr. Perelman supports the Ronald O. Perelman Center for Emergency Services and the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center; the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute at New York Presbyterian Hospital, an internationally-recognized center offering comprehensive, innovative, and world-class cardiovascular care and heart health education; and the Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine.
About Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cell. It is the second most common blood cancer. An estimated 30,280 adults will be diagnosed this year and 12,590 people are predicted to die from the disease.
About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
The mission of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is to find a cure for multiple myeloma by relentless pursuing innovation that accelerates the development of next-generation treatments to extend the lives of patients. Founded in 1998 by Kathy Giusti, a multiple myeloma patient, and her twin sister Karen Andrews as a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, the MMRF is a world-recognized leader in cancer research. Together with its partners, the MMRF has created the only end-to-end solution in precision medicine and the single largest genomic dataset in all cancers. The MMRF continues to disrupt the industry today, as a pioneer and leader at the helm of new research efforts. Since its inception, the organization has raised over $350 million and directs nearly 90% of the total funds to research and related programs. As a result, the MMRF has been awarded by Charity Navigator’s coveted four-star rating for 12 years, the highest designation for outstanding fiscal responsibility and exceptional efficiency.
